New Future
by RaspberryBloodTablets
Summary: No vampires in this, all human. After Yuuki's parents die, she is passed around in foster care until her mysterious uncle steps forward to claim her. In a small town, what will happen when two totally opposite guys fall for her? And who will she choose?
1. Start Over

_New Future_

Note: I don't own VK or any of it's characters, I'm not sure if Lawsonville is a real place, but I couldn't think of a name so made it up, and nobody are vampires in this it just uses the characters and their personalities. Now that that's over with , on to the story:

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Chapter 1- Start Over:

_My parents are gone, my life there is over..._, is what sixteen-year-old Yuuki Cross was thinking as she got on the train that would take her away from the place that she had been living for the past six years.

Her parents had died two years ago, and she had been placed in a local group home. Until, that is her mysterious uncle whom she had never met before, Kaien Cross, had stepped froward to claim her. Now he was her guardian.

She knew nothing about him besides that he was her father's brother, and that he was the principal of the local high school in the small town of Lawsonville.

She sat on the train looking out at the cloudy sky, and she fell asleep just as rain began to fall. She wondered what her new life would be like...

* * *

When Yuuki opened her eyes, everything around her was bright and sunny, and, she realized, the train had stopped.

She retrieved her suitcase, and exited the train with the few other people who were getting off here. One was a loud middle aged woman cooing to a tiny little poodle that was cradled in her arms.

"Yuuki over here!!!" she heard a voice call.

When she turned around she saw a man with longish blond hair in a ponytail and fuzzy slippers running towards her.

Was this oddly dressed guy seriously her uncle...?

He walked up to her and smiled and said,

"Hello, I'm Kaien Cross."

Apparently, this is her uncle.

She smiled back politely,

"I'm Yuuki."

"Yes, I was sure of that. You look just like your mother." he said.

"I've been told that before." she replied, her smile fading.

"I'm so sorry..." he said.

Everything was quiet for a long time, then the Kaien said,

"Well why don't I show you were you'll be staying?"

"Okay." she said.

And they walked towards his car.

* * *

They pulled off the country roads and into a driveway, and Yuuki looked at the house before them.

It was a small bungalow, white with window boxes filled with flowers, and a porch. And in the drveway in front of them was parked a red sprts car with a tall brunette boy leaning against it.

_Who is that...?_ Yuuki wondered.

The boy took off his designer sunglasses when he saw them waking up the driveway.

"Kaname what are you doing here?" asked Kaien.

"Well," He said, smiling at Yuuki, "I heard that there was a new arrival in town."

END/CH.1

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Yes, this is my first story with KanaYuu (read my name), but I hope it turns out well.

Was this a goos start? please review and tell me what you think. also, because there are no vamps in this, there will be NO SPOILERS AT ALL.

So Enjoy, and thanks for reading!


	2. Rima

**Disclaimer: I don't own VK, if I did, it would take a very long time to decide who Yuuki would end up with. I also don't own any of it's characters, they all belong to Matsuri Hino.**

Also, please don't assume anything from my name, I haven't decided who Yuuki will end up with at the end of this story yet.

To the people who reviewed (thank you all so much!) yes, this is partly a KanaYuu story, but it has some Zeki too, so I would apprecialte it a lot if you would stick around and see who Yuuki ends up with. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and sorry it took so long to update.

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Chapter 2- Rima:

Yuuki was surprised to learn that the boy from yesterday was Kaname Kuran, a student at the school that her uncle was the principal of, and that his mother was very well known around the small town for both her wealth and kindness.

She was even more surprised when Kaname had offered to walk her to school the next morning. When she had asked him why, he had simply said,

"Anything for family of Kaien, he's been like a father to me since my own father passed away."

Yuuki had told him that she was sorry for his loss and thanked him for his offer of walking her to school.

_All I could say to him was that I was sorry about his father, something many people have said to me. And yet I always wished to hear something more..._, she thought as she walked out the door the next morning.

"Yuuki, why don't you just come to school with me?" asked her uncle.

"Umm... Kaname had said that he would walk me yesterday." she said, realizing that it really would have made more sense to go with Kaien.

But he just smiled and said,

"Oh, that's nice, it's good that you're already making friends."

He said he would see her at school, and she walked out the door.

Really, it was already the end of May, and school, would be over soon anyway, but Yuuki had missed a lot of school taking care of some of the younger kids in various foster homes she had stayed in, so every day of classes counted for her.

Kaname met her at the end of the dirt road their house was on. It was a big change from the city where all of the housed were crowded together. There was only one other house on the same street.

"Sorry, am I late?!" Yuuki asked Kaname when she walked up to where he was standing

He smiled widely at her.

"No, I was just early." he told her.

They started walking and on the way there Yuuki asked a lot of questions about the community, not really knowing much else to say.

They walked toward the small brick building with a sign out front that read _'Lawsonville District High School.'_

Kaname held the door open for her as she waked in.

At first she was surprised by the small size of the school, but she suddenly noticed a girl with light brown hair alternating between glaring at her and looking longingly at Kaname.

Suddenly a girl who wore red hair in pigtails and had wide blue eyes walked up behind the glaring girl and flicked her in the head saying,

"You know Ruka, I think you've made your point."

The angry girl- Ruka- whirled around and said,

"Just because we work at the same stupid job doesn't mean I want to talk to you at school, Rima."

Suddenly a blond haired boy with ocean colored eyes walked up behind them and said,

"Don't be ashamed Ruka! Catering is a job that deserves respect!"

Ruka glared at him and shouted,

"Hanabusa, if I didn't have to work with you or Rima or Kiryu, I never would in a million years!!!"

"Well, if you hadn't wrecked your parents car, then you wouldn't need to work with us to pay it back." sighed Rima.

"OH, AND I SUPPOSE YOUR REASON IS SO MUCH--" Ruka began, but suddenly stopped when she saw that Yuuki and Kaname had stopped to stare at the strange scene.

"Is there a problem, Ruka...?" asked Kaname.

"Of course not, Kaname!" Ruka replied quickly, standing up straighter. She quickly ran away before she could embarrass herself any further, almost running into the boy named Hanabusa on her way.

Rima walked up yo Yuuki and held out her hand and said,

"Hi my name's Toya Rima, sorry if Ruka was being too much of a bitch."

"Um... My names Yuuki Cross." Yuuki replied, shaking Rima's hand.

"Wait, Cross...? As in the Headmaster's niece." Rima asked suddenly.

"Yes." Yuuki said, then Rima suddenly pulled on her hand and said,

"Come on, I'll show you around."

Yuuki looked back at Kaname as Rima pulled her through the small crowd of students getting ready for their classes.

CH. 2/END

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P.S.: Just so you know, this story will get a lot more dramatic once Zero comes in. (He should come in at about chapter 4.)

Bye, bye for now, from Zeki4Ever. 3


	3. A Ball?

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own VK or any of it's characters, they belong to Matsuri Hino. I also do not own, or am I in any way associated with any of the songs in this chapter.

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Chapter 3: A Ball...?:

After a few days, Yuuki found herself spending most of her time with Kaname.

But even though she soon found out that he was a rather serious person, when he asked her to a ball, she was sure he must be joking.

"Who do I look like Cinderella?!" she asked him, laughing.

"Yuuki, I'm not kidding, every year my mother holds a charity ball at the town hall." he told her.

She just stared at him for a moment. She'd never even been to a real dance before, let alone a _ball_...

"So... will you go with me...?" Kaname asked her.

"Y-yes." she stammered, blushing.

Why was she reacting this way? She didn't feel that way about Kaname, _did she_...?

She honestly didn't know the answer.

**-The day of the ball...-**

"Rima, what am I supposed to wear?" Yuuki asked her new friend, as she threw the contents of her closet on the floor of her room.

"How in the world am _I_ supposed to know?!" sighed Rima, flopping back onto the soft pink sheets of Yuuki's bed.

Yuuki poked her head out of the closet.

"Well, what are you wearing...?" she asked.

Rima sighed again, and told her,

"_I'll_ be wearing a caterer's uniform, because I'll be working in the kitchen. Your circumstance is hardly the same, Yuuki."

"Sorry, I forgot," said Yuuki, "But what do people usually wear to these things, anyway?"

"Do you have a dress?" asked Rima as if it were the obvious answer.

Yuuki was suddenly still, facing toward the closet. She stayed that way for so long, that Rima was starting to get worried, when suddenly Yuuki turned around holding a short sleeved black dress with black lace.

"That looks like a funeral dress." commented Rima.

"Thay's because it is." was Yuuki's quiet reply.

And in the end she wore the funeral dress, because it was the only dress she owned.

She didn't even want to think of what other people would say about it.

**-At the ball...-**

Yuuki had pinned her hair up in a way that she had seen in a magazine, but she didn't have any make-up.

She didn't think she looked good at all, but Kaname had told her several times how nice she looked.

_He must really like me to say that, considering I look like I've just come from a funeral... _She thought to herself.

They walked inside the brightly lit town hall, with it's white walls and high ceilings.

The large wooden tables that usually sat in the center of the room were pulled to the side and covered in white table cloths to allow room for dancing, just as Kaname had said they would be.

---

_Meanwhile, in the kitchen..._

Ruka stared out the doorway, looking at all the dancing people, and sighed.

"What's wrong Ruka?" asked Akatsuki Kain, Hanabusa's cousin.

"I just can't believe Kaname's dancing with _that_ girl." she said, slumping against the door frame and crossing her arms across her chest.

"Hey, Yuuki's a nice person." Rima snapped.

"If Ruka doesn't like her, she's probably perfectly normal. So get back to work." said a cold voice from the other side of the small kitchen.

"Well, Kiryu, why don't you have a look at her yourself?" said Ruka.

"Because I don't care, one way or the other, who Kuran's dancing with," he told her coldly, "but if it'll make you shut up then fine."

So the silver haired boy named Zero Kiryu, walked over to the doorway, and followed Ruka's angry gaze to see Kaname Kuran dancing with a girl.

And even though he wasn't sure why, he couldn't move.

It wasn't just because the girl was beautiful, but because somehow, unlike anyone else in the room, she seemed real.

However, Zero's staring was suddenly interrupted by smoke filling the kitchen, and Ruka saying, somewhat hysterically,

"Hanabusa you idiot, you burned all the food!!! What are we going to do if people see this!?"

"I know!!!" yelled Hanabusa Aido, "I'll put it where no one will want to reach!"

Everyone turned to stare at him with shock and disgust.

"May I ask... where that is...?" said a blond boy named Takuma Ichijo.

"In my pocket!" Aido said, indicating the pocket on the cooking apron he was wearing.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, an then they all heard,

"Rima, is there a problem? I could smell smoke."

And then they all turned around to see Yuuki Cross standing there.

END/CH.3

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A/N: The "In my pocket!" thing is something that this guy in my class did one day when people kept taking his eraser.(I think it was an eraser...)

I guess Zero came into the story a little sooner that I thought. Oh well.

Thank you to every one who read and reviewed!!! I'm about to upload the next chapter right now, so don't go away!

Aido: 'Don't go away...?' your not even sure if anyone is still reading this.

Zeki4Ever:*tears well up in eyes* If your not going to be nice, Aido, then go away!!! *runs off crying*

Rima:Ooooooookkkaaaayyyyy then...

Yuuki:*smiles* see you in the next chapter!

Heh, I've always wanted to make one of those mini-skit things... :)


	4. Disaster Averted

Disclaimer: I do not own VK or any of it's characters, they all belong to Matsuri Hino. I also do not own, r am I in any way associated with any songs mentioned in this chapter. Sorry if these song seem random.

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Chapter 4- Disaster Averted:

Yuuki was standing there in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"Um, yeah," said Rima, "Aido sort of burnt some food..."

"Don't tell her that!" shouted Ruka.

"It's okay, I won't tell anybody." Yuuki said, trying to reassure her.

"You better not, or we'll all get in trouble." said Hanabusa.

Yuuki looked around. She recognized most of these faces from school, except for one boy, who was standing there, not saying anything.

"Who are you...?" she asked the silver haired boy.

"I'm Zero Kriyu." he said.

"Nice to meet you, Zero." Yuuki said. Then she smiled.

When she smiled he had no idea what to say to her.

Suddenly Kaname walked into the room, looking for Yuuki, and saw Aido stuffing the burnt shrimp cakes into his pockets.

"What's going on in here?" he asked.

"K-Kaname!" Ruka said, "There was an accident, but please don't tell your mother."

She said this because was the one hosting this party.

"Yes, and there's really no problem, because I'll help!" said Yuuki suddenly.

"Yuuki, you don't have to do that, really." Kaname said.

But Yukki just replied,

"It's no big deal, really, I used to cook for the younger kids at the group home all the time."

"Why were you in a group home?" Ruka asked smugly. Maybe she was a problem child.

Yuuki looked at her with a faraway look.

"Because both my parents died." she said.

And after that nobody else questioned her. Just like always.

---

With Yuuki's help, everything ran smoothly for the catering crew for the rest of the night.

When Yuuki was putting more food in the oven, she suddenly found herself trying to make conversation with the boy named Zero.

"So, do you live around here?" she asked.

He was quiet for so long that Yukki thought he hadn't heard her, but just as she was about to ask him again, he said,

"Yeah. Why are you asking...?"

"Well, I've never seen you before, so I was just wondering."

"I don't have the best attendance record at school." he said dryly.

Yuuki wondered if Zero ever smiled. Given the look on his face, she guessed not.

For a while, as they prepared the food, and gave it to Ruka and a boy named Shiki to serve to people, Yuuki brought up random topics of conversation.

Zero mostly shrugged or nodded in answer.

Suddenly, on their break, before he even consciously realized he was saying it, Zero asked Yuuki,

"So... um, do you want to dance?"

This took Yuuki off guard.

"W-what?" she stammered.

"I mean, sorry, I guess your boyfriend wouldn't like that." he said, gesturing to Kaname, who was talking to his mother and a few of her friends on the other side of the room.

"He's not my boyfriend." Yuuki said quickly, her face growing warm.

Then, as if totally on impulse, she grabbed Zero's hand and pulled him onto the dancefloor.

After all, she was sure they could be good friends, and there's nothing wrong with a friend dancing with a friend.

Then the song "Over It" by Anneliese Van der Pol started playing.

She wondered how come she always had such bad timing. This song hit close to home, the part about a girl who hides her sadness, and it made her uncomfortable.

However, Zero seemed to think that _he _was what was making her uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry." he said, then stopped dancing.

She realized what he must have thought, but as he was walking back to the kitchen Kaname walked up to her and said,

"May I have this dance...?"

She looked towards the kitchen doorway, but Zero was already gone.

"So, would you like to dance?" Kaname asked again. If he was upset about her dancing with Zero, he didn't show it.

_See, _she told herself, _Kaname doesn't feel that way about you, your just imagining things._

She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

So she decided to dance with him.

By the time she had decided this, the song had changed to "Every Time We Touch" by Cascada.

What had she been saying about bad timing...? Yeah, this was it.

At least it was hard to feel upset, with the fast upbeat pace of the music.

So she just danced, and tried to ignore Ruka, who was glaring at her again.

* * *

A/N: Wow, Ruka glares a lot. I wonder where Zero went... *faraway look*...

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you to every one who read and reviewed!!!

P.S. For a full list of songs played at the 'ball' check out my profile in a few minutes.

XOXO- Zeki4Ever. Wow, that was random.


	5. The Tragedy of Kiryu

Note: Sorry it took me so long to update, and sorry that this chapter is so short, but I haven't had a lot of free time lately.

Yay!!! It's March Break now, so hopefully I'll make some progress with this story in the next week. By the way, I have some interesting ideas for this, so don't touch that dial!!! (Sorry, but I've always wanted to say that...)

(Very tearful)Disclaimer: I-- *sobs*-- _still_--*sobs again*--DON'T-- "Wahhhhh!!!"--own-- _Vampire Knight!!!_ *breaks down crying.*  


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Chapter 5- The Tragedy of Kiryu:

The day after the ball, Yuuki went to her uncle to ask him a question.

He was sitting on the front porch of the house, reading a magazine and drinking tea.

"Uncle Kaien, can I ask you a question...?" she asked.

"Why, yes, of course!" he replied quickly. It was really nice that he was making such an effort to be her friend, as well as her uncle.

"Does... does a person named Zero Kiryu go to the same school as me?" she asked.

A disapproving look spread across Kaien's face.

"Yes," he said, "if he bothers to show up."

This surprised Yuuki.

"Does he skip school a lot?" she asked.

"Yes, but with a past like his I can't really blame him..."

"What do you mean?" Yuuki asked, her curiosity growing as she sat down next to her uncle.

"Yuuki," Kaien's voice lowered, "that boy's past has been somewhat of a tragedy."

* * *

And Yuuki's uncle told her about Zero Kiryu in such detail that she asked,

"Is it okay that you're telling me this, I mean isn't it from his file...?"

"No, Yuuki. Everyone in town knows these things about Kiryu."

In such a small town, should that really be surprising?

From her uncle, Yuuki Cross learned that Zero's parents had been police officers. One day, they were both killed at a crime scene.

Shortly after their deaths, Zero's twin brother Ichiru Kiryu had been diagnosed with leukemia.

All of the money Zero's parents had had went into Ichiru's treatment, and Zero almost never attended school because he was always working odd jobs, because he was trying to support his brother. One of those jobs was catering.

Yuuki felt awful, listening to all the personal details of Zero's life. It was wrong, and plus, she didn't even really know him. But somehow, she just couldn't stop listening.

And that night, Yuuki never got any sleep, because she was trying to guess the whereabouts of someone she didn't even know.

-**The next day...-**

Yuuki couldn't help it, when she saw Zero Kiryu walking down the street while she was on her way home from Rima's house.

She remembered how she had peppered Rima with questions:

"Is he kind to the other caterers?"

"Does he talk to others a lot?"

"Were you ever friends with him?"

Rima had no idea why Yuuki was suddenly so interested in Kiryu, but he was all that she could talk about.

When Rima had questioned her friends behavior, she had just shrugged her shoulders and said she didn't even understand why she was acting this way.

And suddenly she found herself walking up to the silver haired boy and saying,

"I'm Yuuki Cross. You danced with me the other night."

Those words stopped him in his tracks, and he turned around to face her. He had a strange surprised sort of look about himself as he asked,

"What do you want?"

CH.5/END


	6. What She Wants

First of all, I would like to thank all of the readers of this story, and everyone who has reviewed, especially **Ashlyn Darke** who has been reading and giving me her opinion since chapter 1. Thanks :) Hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or any of it's characters, they all belong to Matsuri Hino.

* * *

Chapter 6 - What She Wants:

"Well... what is it...?" Zero asked Yuuki, trying to sound annoyed. Even though, for once, he wasn't.

"I...um...I..." she stammered.

_Idiot!,_ she cursed herself mentally, _What am I supposed to say now?!_

Suddenly, Yuuki snapped back to reality, about to tell Zero that she was sorry for bothering him... but he was walking away.

"Ah- Please wait!!!" she called running up beside him.

He raised an eyebrow at her, but stopped walking.

"Listen, if I made you uncomfortable the other night, I'm sorry about that." Zero told her.

Zero watched her large brown eyes grow even wider.

"What are you talking about? You were the one who left so suddenly, that I thought it must have been _me_ bothering _you_." Yuuki said.

Well that was a surprise.

"So," she continued, "do you wanna, um.. hang out or something...?"

_How do you come right out and ask somebody to be friends anyway?_ she wondered. She hadn't actually _had_ any real friends before she came here.

"Okay..." he said, looking a little less serious.

---

They walked for a while as the sun was starting to set and talked about impersonal topics like music and books and such.

Yuuki figured that nether of them really wanted to go into personal details right now. Until, that is, Zero said,

"So I suppose that your uncle told you about me."

Yuuki froze. _He knew?!_

"Um... yeah, sort of," she said, "but I won't tell anyone."

"That's a joke. I don't think there's anyone around here that doesn't know." he said, looking at the ground.

"How, do you do that? Dealing with people knowing all about your personal life?" Yuuki asked him.

"Around here," he replied, "you just get used to it, because it's impossible to hide anything for long."

That really didn't give Yuuki much hope for her secrets staying hidden, so for the first time, she told some one everything about the last two years of her life.

"My parents died in an airplane crash on their anniversary. They were going away for the weekend and left me home alone. I never watched the news or anything, so I didn't know about what happened until they didn't come home on time, and I called my Mom's cell phone number...

"I didn't know what to do when a police officer answered it. He said the phone, along with a few other items, was somehow salvaged from a terrible plane crash, and that nobody on board survived."

Yuuki was crying by now, but she kept talking.  
"And then a social services worker came and took me to my first foster home. I took care of the younger kids, but the people didn't really want me. I was too clumsy.

So then I went to the next, and next, and so on. Finally, after no one would keep me, they put me in a group home. That's where I was when Uncle Kaien adopted me.

Before that, I didn't even know who he was, except that he was my father's little brother that nobody ever talked about." She finished.

"And, you know what?," Zero said sounding frustrated, "It just sucks that after all that stuff happened to you, most people around here wouldn't have enough decency to respect your privacy. They'd rather have something to gossip about."

Yuuki looked up at Zero, tears streaming down her face.

"Zero, thank you so much for listening to me. You're really-"

Yuuki was suddenly cut off by a call of her name.

"Yuuki?!"

She whirled around to see Kaname walking up the road behind them.

"Yuuki," he said, "I've been looking for you. It's getting late, and your uncle was worried."

"Oh, I'm sorry! Zero and I were talking and I lost track of time." Yuuki said, smiling apologetically.

"I have to go. See you around." Zero mumbled suddenly, and walked away.

"Bye, Zero!" she called after him.

"Yuuki, do you really think it's wise you become friends with Kiryu?" Kaname asked her.

"Why wouldn't it be...?" asked a confused Yuuki.

"Because," Kaname said matter-of-factually, "your uncle won't ever approve of someone he dislikes so much."

Ch.6/END

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Oh, and thanks to **iheartEdawardCullen1901** for making up the end of this chapter.

Please review and tell me what you think! I'll try to update soon!

-Zeki4Ever(except when I'm writing KanaYuu...)


	7. It Was Just a Normal Day

Sorry, for the short, chapter! I'll update soon!

Disclaimer: I don't own VK or it's characters. They belong to Matsuri Hino. I don't know if 'Parkton' is a real place, but that was the only name I could come up with today. :) Enjoy!

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***

Chapter 7- It Was Just a Normal Day:

Yuuki woke up the last Saturday before Summer Vacation, blinked at the sunlight, and looked up.

She sat bolt upright, screaming when she saw a another pair of eyes looking back at her.

It took her a second to realize it was Rima.

"W-what are you doing here?!" Yuuki asked, trying to relocate her heartbeat.

"Your uncle let me in." Rima replied, shrugging.

Yuuki glanced at the clock.

"Well...?" she said.

"Well, what?" asked Rima.

"Well," Yuuki said, "Why did you come all the way here at seven o'clock in the morning...?"

"You don't remember?"

"No..."

Rima rolled her eyes as she said,

"We were going to go into town shopping today..."

'Town' was Parkton, the nearest place with any real stores or a hospital for many miles.

"Oh!" Yuuki gasped, suddenly remembering their plans. Then realizing that she couldn't go.

"I'm sorry Rima," Yuuki told her friend, "but I promised uncle Kaien I wouldn't go anywhere today."

"But it's fun going into town!" said Rima.

"Just because I can't go doesn't mean you have to stay home." Yuuki reminded her.

"Well, it wont be as fun alone..." Rima sighed, walking towards the door of Yuuki's room, running her hands over the sky-blue walls as she did so.

"I'm really sorry. But you'll still have a good time." said Yuuki.

Rima smiled and said,

"Okay. See you around."

"Okay, bye." replied Yuuki, and Rima walked out the door.

---

That night, Yuuki was washing the dinner dishes, after a day of heling her uncle with stuff around the house.

The doorbell rang, and she heard her uncle answer it.

"Yuuki, it's for you!" he called.

"Coming!" Yuuki shouted back, and walked into the hallway expecting to see Rima, wanting to show her what she had bought in town that day.

But instead it was Shiki Senri, Rima's childhood friend and boyfriend. He looked really upset.

"Shiki, what's wrong...?" Yuuki asked nervously.

"On her way back from town... Rima was in a car accident."

CH.7/END

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Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!


	8. Stop Pretending

Note: Rima and Shiki are some of my favorite characters, so i try to get them in this fic a lot, and, in fact, I was a Shima fan before my Zeki obsession. (But I still like them.) And when I first started reading the manga (that was how I was introduced to the series) I was a KanaYuu fan. So I change favorite pairings a lot, as any of my friends can tell you. And I get off topic a lot, so if you are still with me after all of that boring randomness I just wrote, then please enjoy this chapter of "New Future". Oh, and I still don't own Vampire Knight (sadly).

* * *

Chapter 8 - Stop Pretending:

_Drip, drip, drip..._

She stared at the sink, happy to be alone.

She had been in the waiting room with the others.

The whole catering crew had been there, except for Zero, but no one had bothered to tell him yet.

Ruka (Yes, she came too.) had said that he wouldn't care anyway, but Yuuki didn't believe it.

After mostly everyone either fell asleep or had to go home, Mr. Toya had gone to check with the doctor about Rima's condition.

Mrs. Toya was in the room at her daughter's bedside, but until Rima's condition stabilized, she was only allowed one other person in the room.

They all pretended not to hear Rima's mother crying.

Yuuki had pretended to fall asleep, and Shiki paced back and forth through the waiting room the whole time.

Eventually, she had to get out of there, so she had ran to the bathroom in hopes of regaining some of her sanity.

She splashed cold water on her face and tried to breath. She blinked at her reflection a few times, then left the ladies room.

Mr. Toya had returned with a doctor. She was tall, with caramel colored hair, and her name tag said Dr. Johnson.

Everyone looked really upset, and everyone was staring at the doctor.

"W-what's wrong?" Yuuki asked hesitantly.

The doctor sighed.

"Both of Ms. Toya's legs are broken, and she has various scars all over her body."

Yuuki gasped.

"Now, why don't all of you try to get some sleep?" Dr. Johnson told them.

"No thank you," said Shiki, "because unlike everyone else, I'm not just going to pretend that she'll be fine with this, because if it's hard for us to accept... It'll be even harder for her."

---

Early that morning, Shiki had moved from pacing, to sitting in a chair and tapping his foot.

Yuuki was just about to drift into sleep, so tired that she couldn't even think.

Suddenly, an figure caught her eye. There was somebody leaning against the doorjamb.

It was Zero.

_Yes, he really does care..._ Yuuki managed to think through the tired fog of her mind.

And knowing that Rima was surrounded by all of the people who cared about her, Yuuki fell asleep.

* * *

Thank you very much to everyone who read and reviewed, and please continue to give me your feedback on this story.

I really enjoy hearing any of your opinions, so don't be shy when it comes to constructive critisism either. :)

-Zeki4Ever (who, had she created her account earlier, might have been Shima4Ever or KanaYuu4Ever... Hmmm...)


	9. Twins

A/N: I realized that Kaname really isn't in this story much, but that's because all of the ideas I have for him come in later in the story. But for all of the Kaname fans reading this fic, even though it's a little on the short side (sorry) I included a Kaname POV part in this chapter!

So please enjoy, and thank you to everyone who has been reading this, and to all of the people who reviewed!

Disclaimer: I do not own VK or any of it's characters. They all belong to Matsuri Hino.

* * *

Chapter 9 - Twins:

Later, the next morning, everyone was in a fuss as Rima woke up. So many people who wanted to see her, and nurses and doctors constantly checking on her.

Eventually, Rima had talked to her parents, Dr. Johnson, and Shiki. Then she asked to see Yuuki.

Yuuki walked into the bright hospital room, and before she could open her mouth, Rima told her,

"Please, can we just try to have a normal conversation?"

"What do you mean?" Yuuki asked.

Rima sighed and rolled her eyes.

"All morning, everyone keeps asking me if I'm okay. Well I'm still alive, so I'm okay."

Yuuki didn't know what to say to this, and in the silence, her eyes wandered to the thick casts on both of Rima's legs and the pink scars going up her arms and neck.

And there was a scar that covered a large part of Rima's left cheek. Yuuki was careful not to let her eyes settle there.

"You know," Yuuki said after a while, "everybody was really worried about you, Rima.

"Everyone came, all of the catering crew. I even saw Zero in the hall." Yuuki added.

Rima looked at Yuuki for a moment, and suddenly she had the feeling that she was missing something.

"What?" asked Yuuki.

"Yuuki," Rima told her, "Zero probably wasn't her to see me..."

Suddenly Yuuki remembered her uncle's words: _"His twin brother, Ichiru, was diagnosed with leukemia."_

She and Rima went on to talk about other things, but for the second time since they had met, Yuuki's mind was occupied with thoughts of Zero Kiryu.

**(Kaname POV)**

It was such a simple question, really, that Takuma Ichijo had just asked, thought Kaname Kuran.

_'How do you feel about Yuuki Cross?'_

And yet... Kaname found himself at a loss for words. This caused Takuma to tease him,

"Sooooo Kaname, do you looooooooove her...?" asked Takuma.

"She is a very kind person." Kaname said, easily becoming slightly annoyed with the forever-hyper Ichijo.

But really, to tell the truth, Kaname had been thinking about Yuuki for quite some time now.

When he had heard that Yuuki's friend had been in a car accident, he had been very worried, not just for Rima Toya herself, but also for Yuuki.

Surely these feelings were not that of love, but only of friendly concern... weren't they...?

**Meanwhile, with Yuuki...**

Yuuki's uncle had told her that she should come home today, and as she was walking down the hospital corridor, lost in her own thoughts, she suddenly ran into someone.

The boy was wearing a blue-green hospital gown, and a nurse was walking beside him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for-" Yuuki started to say, but had to stop when she saw the boy's face.

He looked just like Zero. He had the same lavender eyes and pale, milky skin... and Yuuki had assumed that if the boy in front of her had had any hair, it would be the same silvery color as Zero's.

"Hello," the boy said to her, smiling, "my name is Ichiru Kiryu."

CH.9/END

* * *

So, how was it...? Please Review, and thank you for reading!

-Zeki4Ever


	10. Dinner

** -Some VK spoilers in the A/N-**

**A/N: Just to clear things up, there isn't any er... _incest..._ in this story, so there will be no JurrixHaruka.**

**Haruka was with "Mia" and Jurri was with some random guy who was Kaien Cross's older brother.**

**And I added Sara 'casue I wanted Kaname to have a little sis to be over-protective over. So cute. ;)**

**

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Dinner :

"H-hello," Yuuki replied quickly, "my name is Yuuki Cross."

Suddenly a smile spread across Ichiru's face.

"Oh, really, the _famous _Yuuki Cross that I've been hearing so much about?"

_'Most people around here wouldn't have enough decency to respect you privacy..._'

Zero's words from a few days ago filled her mind.

"What have you heard about me?" she asked.

Ichiru's smile grew.

"Nothing but good things, I can assure you." he told her.

_Huh?!_

"What do you mean by tha-" Yuuki began, but was cut off by a sudden voice coming from behind her.

"Hey Yuuki."

Yuuki turned around to see Zero with his hands in his jacket pockets. _How long had he been standing there...?, _she wondered.

Zero walked to stand by his brother. When they were side-by-side like that, their resemblance was really striking, any doubt that they were twins gone.

Meanwhile, the elderly nurse who had been walking with Ichiru was standing there smiling at them.

"I need to go up the hall for a minute," she told them, "but I'm sure that you kids will get along just fine."

And they did get along, so well that Yuuki completely forgot about getting home on time.

---

When Yuuki walked through the front door into the little front room with the old salmon colored carpet, her uncle was standing in front of her, tapping his foot impatiently.

"What took you so long to get home?" he asked her.

"Oh!" Yuuki cried, suddenly remembering her promise to be home earlier.

"I'm so sorry, but I ran into some friends at the hospital and lost track of time." she said, turning to hang her coat up.

"Wcich friends?" her uncle asked suspiciously.

"Um..." Yuuki froze suddenly, remembering her uncle's disapproval of Zero.

"Just someone I know from school." she said, and left it at that.

There was a long awkward silence between them before her uncle said,

"Kaname Kuran and his mother have invited us for dinner."

Yuuki smiled at the thought of seeing Kaname again. It would be a nice change from all that had happened in the last few days.

---

The word 'house' couldn't really be applied to where Kaname, his mother, Mia, and his little sister Sara lived. The word 'mansion' suited it better.

The front room was snow white, with high ceilings, and a huge portrait of the entire family, including the late Kuran, hung in the very center of the wall parallel the front door.

Mia Kuran walked in with six-year-old Sara trailing behind her. Kaname was walking beside them.

Mia was a tall woman with long, blond hair and deep hazel eyes. Sara simply looked like an miniature version of her mother, except she had the same mahogany irises as her father and her brother.

Mother and daughter were wearing very similar dresses, in the same shade of pastel pink, except Sara's was lacier and frillier and looked more like a little girl's dress.

Kaname was dressed formally, yet not to much so, in a navy blue button down shirt, and black dress pants.

Yuuki immediately felt embarrassed by the outfit she was wearing.

Not wanting to wear the funeral dress again, she had picked out a flowy blouse with beads, and her very best, and only, not-at-all torn jeans.

Her uncle was wearing... what would be expected of him. Which was always pretty weird.

"Hello, Yuuki." Kaname greeted her, his usual sad smile spreading across his face.

"Hi." she said timidly.

To her surprise, Sara walked right up to her and said, "You're pretty."

"Thank you," Yuuki replied, "but you're much prettier than me."

The little girl smiled up at her.

---

They had just sat down to eat, when Mia's cell phone beeped.

She answered it quickly, and told them that she had to rush to work because of an emergency.

Before she left she told her son, "Kaname, make sure that Sara gets to bed on time. You know what she's like when she doesn't get enough sleep."

As Mia walked away, Kaname mumbled something that sounded like, '_Better than you do...'_, but she couldn't be sure, as at that moment Sara burst into tears asking her mother not to leave again.

CH.10/END

* * *

So, how was it?

Please review, and thank you very much for reading!!!

-Zeki4Ever


	11. Truth

Sorry it took so long to update! And KanaYuu fans, please don't lose your patience with me, because that pairing will come into the story a lot more often very , I would like to say that when I started this story, I had it all planned out. In comparison to a road, it was a vehicle straight, clear highway. Now however, from it's original course, it has veered off the highway, into the forest, and is now in uncharted territory. Now I know that this story writes itself. I won't underestimate my over-active imagination anymore.

Disclaimer: I do not own VK or any of it's characters.

* * *

Chapter 11- Truth:

(About a week later...)

Rima was finally back in school, just in time for the last few days.

Shiki was wheeling Rima's new wheelchair down the street while Yuuki walked beside them.

Of course, Rima, being stubborn, was arguing about it.

"Shiki, I can move the chair on my own you know! I'm not totally helpless!"

She had been doing this every day since she had been let out of the hospital.

"Rima," Shiki told her, "trust me, I know that you're not helpless, but if you try to do this on your own, you'll be late for school."

It was really no use arguing with her.

"No I won't!" she shouted, crossing her arms over her chest and sighing, "But I'll let you push me anyway..."

Suddenly, they heard:

"Hey, would you mind if I walked to school with you guys?"

Shiki and Rima's heads shot up to stare at the boy who usually never spoke to them.

Kanme Kuran was standing there and... smiling.

"Why?" they asked in unison.

"Why not?" Yuuki questioned Shiki and Rima. They looked at each other for an minute, then Rima said,

"Never mind..."

They kept walking, and Yuuki was the only one who kept up conversation with Kaname.

---

"As you may have heard before, the truth sets you free..." said the smiling Health teacher. The class, which consisted of the younger catering crew members, Yuuki, and a few others, were learning a unit on psychiatry.

"...And so, over the summer, you will write in these journals, and record the entire truth about the way you spend your time, your inner thoughts, and your memories..."

There was a long groan from the class.

"I think it sounds like a good idea." said a girl with short fiery hair, who was named Yori.

"Of course you do..." muttered Ruka.

"But d-don't worry miss Souen, For no one will ever see this journal except for you!" said the overly-smiley teacher.

There was a long silence.

"Then what the heck is the point anyway?!" scoffed a boy in the back of the classroom.

"It is s-so you can vent your feelings." replied the teacher.

Yuuki took her journal from the front of the classroom just as the bell rang for lunch.

She was about to start thinking about what she would write, when she heard a voice coming from the doorway of the now empty classroom.

"Yuuki, do you want to go to lunch with me?"

Yuuki turned around in surprise to see Zero.

'What are you doing here?!" she asked, then realizing it was sort of a stupid question anyway, because he went to school here.

"Wow," he said, almost laughing, "Do I really skip so much that you have to wonder why I'm here?"

Yuuki nodded her head hesitantly.

He shook his head slowly.

"I'm almost disgusted that I find that funny."

They walked out of the classroom, and Yuuki headed towards the cafeteria.

"Where are you going?" he asked her.

"You said you wanted to go to lunch-"

"Not here." he said and walked toward the exit.

"What? But... we're not allowed to leave school property for lunch..." she trailed off when she saw the way Zero was looking at her. She then realized that that was the whole point.

They began walking down the hallway, and just as they got out the door they heard "Hey, stop!"

They turned around to see Kaien Cross running down the hallway towards the large glass double doors.

"Come on!" said Zero, grabbing Yuuki by the wrist and breaking into a run.

---

They ran until they were far away from the school.

Zero stopped in front of a house that was know to be abandoned.

"What are we doing here?" asked Yuuki, suddenly feeling uneasy.

He looked at her and lowered his voice.

"I live here."

"What do you mean--"

"Come on." he said urging her inside.

The house looked old and unkempt on the outside, but once inside and past the first room, it almost looked lived in.

Almost.

"So you live here." Yuuki said.

"Yes."

"And," she continued, "no one else knows that you live here."

"No one besides you and my brother."

"Don't you have anywhere else to stay?"

"No."

This was surprising.

_Was this where Zero's family used to live? _Yuuki wondered.

Zero pulled a small gas stove (like the kind people use during power outages) out of a cupboard, and pulled food ingredients out of the cupboard as well.

They ate lunch together, and Yuuki felt nervous about her uncle the whole time.

---

That night, after Yuuki had been scolded for breaking school rules, and served detention, then was given another harsh talk when she got home (although it seemed her uncle wasn't very good at getting mad at people).

Sitting on her bed,she opened the reddish-pink paperback journal she had received at school, and began writing about her day.

Suddenly she wondered: _Without uncle Kaien would I be in the same situation as Zero now...?_

And for the rest of the night, her thoughts and her tears from the past all spilled onto the paper.

_And even if anyone really wanted me, all I could do was run and lie to myself..._

Then there was a knock on the door of her small, sunflower yellow bedroom her bedroom.

"Yuuki," said her uncle, "You have school in the morning, you should go to sleep soon."

She glanced through her tearful eyes at the clock. 2:47 AM.

"Yes," she said, trying to hide the weakness in her voice, "you're right."

She waited until she heard her uncle's footsteps retreat down the hallway, then she threw the journal against the wall, and cried herself to slep with the lights still on.

CH.11/END

* * *

So, how was it? Please tell me, because it seems that most of my (former?) reviewers have disappeared. If I wrote something that made you dislike the story, please tell me what it was so I can improve.

Thank you very much for reading, and I would appreciate you feedback so much!

-Zeki4Ever

P.S.: I have decided that I **might** change my pen name. I may not, But when I decide on a name, I will let you all know what it is as not to confuse anyone.


	12. Almost

Hehe, I told you I was going to add more KanaYuu. Just to explain, I want the first half of the story to be more Zeki centered, then add more Kaname as time goes on. You'll see why later. This may also be a good chapter for Ichiru fans.

I love writing this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own VK or any of it's characters. Disclaimers are so boring to write, I'll need to come up with some catchy ones like I did with "Not-so-Silent Night".

Chapter 12- Almost:

"Yuuki, have you grown bored of me?"

The question that Kaname asked her caught her totally off guard.

It was Friday evening, and Yuuki had just come home from Rima's house to find Kaname was there talking with her uncle.

When her uncle had gone to make tea, leaving Kaname and Yuuki sitting on the ocean blue sofa in the living room, she and Kaname had started talking.

How had the conversation shifted to this so suddenly...?

"What? Of course not!"

Yuuki was shocked. If anything, she had assumed that Kaname only spent so much time with her as a friend of her uncle, and would soon tire of _her_.

He looked relieved.

"Thank goodness..." he sighed.

Yuuki flushed uncontrollably. Even her thoughts were stuttering.

Seeing the look on her face, Kaname smiled at her, and suddenly he was leaning toward her.

_Is- is he going to--?_ Yuuki thought frantically. She'd never been kissed before.

His face was just inches away. She couldn't believe that this was happening, how much she wanted this...

Suddenly Kaien burst in.

"Who wants tea?!"

Suddenly he registered the scene in front of him.

"I-I um... I'm sorry if I interrupted anything...?"

Yuuki and Kaname parted.

"I'm sorry, but I should be going." said Kaname, standing up.

"So soon?" asked Kaien. Yuuki was still sitting on the sofa, blushing and confused.

"I'm afraid so." Kaname said, as he walked toward the door.

He turned and smiled his lonely smile, always so lonely, and said "Goodnight, Yuuki."

As Kaname returned to his car, Yuuki looked at her uncle and saw a small smirk on his face. He seemed to look rather pleased.

---

Yuuki soon realized why Kaname had asked the question on that night. Ever since the ball, she hadn't noticed how incredibly focused she had been on Zero.

She now accompanied Zero in visiting Ichiru at Parkton General on a regular basis.

However, today she could see that Ichiru, usually friendly and pretty optimistic, was looking better than usual tonight.

"It's great that you feel better." said Zero, one of his very rare smiles surfacing.

"It is." agreed Yuuki.

Even the nurses were excited that Ichiru was feeling better.

The visit went as it always did, but when Yuuki and Zero had to leave, to go back to Lawsonville.

As they were walking out the door and saying their goodbyes, Ichiru asked, "You two are good friends, right?"

The question seemed a little strange, but it couldn't be denied that Yuuki and Zero had become good friend over time.

"Yes." Yuuki said smiling, and Zero nodded.

"Okay." said Ichiru, grinning.

_Yes,_ Ichiru thought as they walked out the door, _Yuuki is kind. As long as she is with Zero, he will be safe..._

CH.12/END

* * *

Thank you so much t everyone who read, and to all who reviewed. It's nice to know that someone is reading this, and wonderful to know that people are enjoying it!

Please stick with it, and if there are any mistakes or things you didn't like, feel free to point them out. However, if you want to start flaming this story because of any pairings or something like that, please don't. I don't mind constructive critisism, but if your just being downright mean, then keep your comments to yourself. No one has left mean comments or flames, but I just want to point this out ahead of time just in case.

Thank you for reading, and please tell me what you think,

-Zeki4Ever


	13. Rain Kissed

MESSAGE TO **Jasper Whitlock Luver** AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER!!! (BUT PLEASE READ THE _WHOLE_ CHAPTER FIRST BEFORE YOU READ THE MESSAGE!!!)

Disclaimer: I don't own VK.

* * *

Chapter 13 - Rain Kissed:

_My first kiss..._ Yuuki thought to herself. Unlike many girls, she had never wondered or fantasized what it would be like. Never given it much thought.

Until now.

She walked down the hallway on that day, wondering about what it would be like to have kissed Kaname Kuran on that day.

These thoughts distracted her through her entire first period History class as she stared out the window at the gray sky.. That was before she knew. On that day, her peaceful thoughts of Kaname's lips came to an abrupt end.

---

As she walked out to the hallway to return her books to her locker, she suddenly heard a shriek of, "Oh, my God!"

Yuuki dropped her books at the scream and whirled around to see Aido facing, Ruka and Ichijo.

Ruka was the one who'd screamed.

Shiki was also standing with them.

"Yuuki," he said stepping forward, "your uncle just got a call from Parkton, and--"

Shiki was suddenly cut off, when the secretary stepped out of the office at the end of the hallway.

"I am very sorry," she called down the corridor, just as the sound of pounding rain could be heard on the roof of the one storey building, "to inform you that one of our former students passed on last night, after losing his battle with leukemia..."

Yuuki pushed through the crowd and burst out of the school doors, running into the storm.

Thunder could be heard in the distance, as hat lightning began to flash a brilliant blue against the gray-back sky.

Yuuki could hear only her sneakers slapping against the wet sidewalk as she ran down the street, until she came to the abandoned house. she ran around to the back of the house, entirely on instinct.

He was there.

Zero was slumped against the back wall of the house, his ace buried in his hands.

"Zero!" Yuuki yelled over the pounding rain.

She ran up beside him, and kneeled down to face him.

"Zero, I'm so sorry, I can't believe that--" then she stopped.

_He doesn't want your pity!_ snapped a voice inside of her, she remembered how she'd felt after her parent's deaths. She didn't want any pity. She wanted to forget.

She had to make him forget.

Before she could even begin to sort out her emotions, the voice began pounding so hard behind her ears she could hardly stand it.

_Make him forget, make him forget make him forget!!!!!!_

She crushed her lips against his. He was shocked at first, he tried to push her away. She became more forceful.

_Forget! Forgetforgetforget...!_

She felt tears spill over as she fell to her knees, the rain soaked them. _No... not like this, please._

But she couldn't stop what she'd started, and it must have been working, because Zero seemed to let out quite abit of agression as she slammed her back against the side of the house and deepened the kiss...

She didn't mind. He didn't mean it. _Did she?_

She stayed numb as the feeling of losing the other half of your soul poured out of Zero's eyes and onto her face. _His twin brother._

_Loss, tears, and all that is forbidden. As night falls in the middle of a thunder storm._

CH.13/END

* * *

**TO JASPER WHITLOCK LUVER:** I AM SO SO SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really didn't want to make him die, but I had the whole story planned out before hand, and I would have to change everything that happened in this story from here on out if I didn't!!! SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please please please forgive me. And I understand if you don't like this story anymore, but it would mean a lot to me if you would stick with it. Sorry.

---A/N: Wow, this is the most messed up, depressing thing I have ever written. Ick, now I'm sad. Sorry.

-Zeki4Ever


	14. Guilty

Yay, two updates in one week! I must be getting better at this...

Wow, I get a lot of mixed reviews, it seems like there is a pretty even balance between Zeki and KanaYuu fans reading this. I'm just sad that in the end some of you will be disappointed. I wonder who...? Just kidding, I think I know now, so wait and see, although don't worry because I think this fic is far from over now.

Disclaimer time:

Anyway, I don't own VK or anything else rally. No profit is being made from this story and bah, blah, blah.....

* * *

Chapter 14- Guilty:

That night, Yuuki climbed in through her bedroom window.

She moved swiftly to the other side of the room, closing and locking the door so nobody could enter and see her appearance.

She glanced in the mirror at her reflection: She was soaking wet from head to toe from the rain that was still falling outside. Her hair was a mess, she was shivering, her lips almost blue with cold. Her faded blue jeans were covered with grass and mud stains from the ground, and she could feel the rips in the back of her white blouse that had appeared as a result of being pressed against the old wooden siding of the house.

She buried her face in her hands and sighed. She felt ashamed. But not because she cared about her appearance when someone close to her had just passed away.

She was ashamed for kissing Zero in the ways she had, for letting him...

And it was because she was scared _he_ would find out about it. Deep rooted inside of her was the desire to never disappoint Kaname. He was her friend, no, he was...

But then what was Zero to her...?

_I don't understand..._ Yuuki thought as she slumped to the floor.

Then she spotted her journal against the wall where she had left it since her first entry.

She picked it up, grabbed a pen from her desk and began to write:

_Dear Journal,_

_I'm confused, I don't want to hurt anyone, but for once I have all these problems that I can't run away from. Not like I did before..._

_I fell so dirty, so sick, so... Guilty. I feel guilty about all my actions up until this point, and... I'm scared._

_Someone please help me, I feel so---_

A light knocking on her door made Yuuki look up from her journal.

"Yuuki, I heard about your friend, are you okay...?" a voice asked her softly.

_Kaname._

Yuuuki stood and said, "Um, as okay as I can be I guess..." Really, she kind of muttered it, so she wasn't even sure if Kaname could hear her through the thick wood of her bedroom door.

She was about to unlock the door and leave the room, but then she remembered the state she was in.

"I'll be there in just a minute!" she said, making a point to raise her voice that time.

Yuuki quickly dug through the contents of her dresser, and pulled out the first things she saw: a black button-up sweater and a pair of dark blue jeans. On a second thought, she took out her un-ripped jeans. She slipped into the warm, dry clothes and brushed her hair.

Now her uncle was in the hallway asking, "Yuuki, what's taking you so long...?"

She also tied a bandanna in her hair in hopes it would hide how clearly soaked it was.

Finally, Yuuki unlocked her door, hoping she didn't appear as if she were going to have a breakdown.

When she opened the door, the first thing Yuuki saw was little Sara Kuran standing on the tips of her toes, holding a small bouquet of paper flowers, tied together with a piece of pink ribbon.

"Here," the little girl said, handing the flowers to Yuuki, "flowers always make me feel better when I'm sad."

CH.14/END

* * *

Aw, I love putting Sara into chapters, and I love little Kaname and Yuuki in the VK manga, cause I feel like Kaname should always be a brotherly figure to somebody...

In other news, I AM CHANGING MY PEN NAME!!! From now on, look for: **New Future **by **Cagalli's Pink Rose**. Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed.

-Zeki4Ever (soon to change my pen name)


	15. Woken Up

A/N:(**PLEASE READ**)So sorry for the long wait. I guess I'm really feeling the KanaYuki love right now, lol. Right now its a real toss-up between the two parings, so who knows how this will end? Lol, and stop assuming things based on how many chapters with each couple! Like I said, this story is a _long_ ways from over yet! And also _yes_ I will try to give Yuuki more personality from now on, now that I've done a character sketch (not a drawing sketch, but behavior analasis) on Yuuki and can see her perspective a little more clearly (should the fanfic authour be like that?).

So Enjoy the chapter, and thank you to everyone who read and reviewed!

*cough*Disclaimer*cough*: Oh yeah, and in other news, I _still_ don't own Vampire Knight. Duh.

* * *

Chapter 15 - Woken Up:

Yuuki sat on the sofa in her uncle's living room, with Sara sitting next to her, legs curled up under her.

Yuuki supposed that Sara was making so much effort to carry on such an incredibly long conversation so that she would be happy, either that, or Sara Kuran was just a _very_ talkative little girl.

The entire time Yuuki could feel Kaname's concerned gaze focused on her face.

She felt strange, sure that her guilt and secrets were written on her face, that Kaname would be able to read her like an open book.

And what if-- _Oh, grow up, _Yuuki's inner voice scolded her when she started worrying.

At one point, Sara became so involved with the story she was telling that she lunged forward and fell right onto Yuuki's lap.

"Oh, sorry," Sara said, getting up and preparing to launch back into her stories of imaginary lands.

Kaname ruffled his little sister's hair and said, "Sara, how about you take a little break from your story and let me talk with Yuuki for a moment."

Sara looked reluctant to leave at first, but, as if on second thought, listened her brother and left the room.

"How do you feel?" Kaname asked Yuuki, moving to sit beside her on the couch.

Yuuki wasn't sure how to answer him, because all she felt was confusion.

When she didn't say anything Kaname said, "I'm sorry, you're probably worrying about Kiryu, now that he's without his brother. I'll leave if you would prefer it."

He stood and started to walk away.

"Wait! Please don't go!" Yuuki cried, grabbing onto the sleeve of his jacket. The next thing Yuuki knew, she was being pulled into Kaname's arms.

He held her tightly to his chest and told her, "Don't worry, I'll stay here as long as you want me to."

It seemed like wonderful years wrapped in Kaname's arms. Able to forget every terrible thing in the world, for a while. Still, when they heard Sara coming and had to pull away from each other, every inch of Yuuki's body and mind longed to be in Kaname's arms again.

Her skin felt hot, but she wasn't sure if it was from Kaname's touch, or a fever from being outside in the rain. Kaname answered her question when he told her she looked a little flushed, and placed his hand on her forehead.

"You're running a fever, Yuuki," he said worriedly.

He touched a stray piece of hair that was peeking out from underneath her bandanna. "Your hair is soaking wet. Were you out in the rain?"

"Y-yes, when I came home from school..." Yuuki replied, feeling like an open book once again. What if he figured out what she had done?

"You should rest." he told her, taking her hand and leading her toward her bedroom.

Sara stayed in the living room and called, "Kaien is going to take me home to Mom now!"

It took a second for the meaning of these words to sink into Yuuki's mind. If her uncle and Sara both left, then... She and Kaname would be here all alone.

Kaname led her into her room and closed the door behind him.

CH.15/END

* * *

Sorry for the sudden jump in mood, but I _**really**_ wanted to get out of the depressing stuff for a while! Yay, non-depressing romance!

Thanks you for reading this chapter, and please leave a review!!!

-Cagalli's Pink Rose


	16. Dreaming

Update night again! (Or, umm... update morning I guess...?)

Wow, I wonder how much farther we are from the end of this fic now...? Closer than I once thought, but still, any pairing could win....

By the way, the part about Yuuki not wanting to sleep because Kaname might leave is from the actual VK manga, so of course I credit Matsuri Hino for that idea.

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Vampire Knight or any of it's characters, they all belong to their rightful creator, Matsuri Hino.

* * *

Chapter 16 - Dreaming:

"You should rest," Kaname told Yuuki again.

Now she was really starting to feel strange. When she walked towards her bed, she kept stumbling.

Kaname walked over to where she was (barely) standing, and gently held her arm. Yuuki felt strange, as if she knew she was walking, but couldn't feel her legs move.

Kaname led her her bed, and made sure she was tucked in under the covers.

_That reminds me of when--_ Yuuki stopped mid-thought, fully feeling the absence of her parents now. She felt a cold chill come up her spine, and shivered, as she remembered the day she found out they wouldn't be coming home.

"Are you cold?" Kaname asked her, caressing her arm through the worn fabric of the quilt that covered her.

"Yes."

He continued rubbing her arm, which felt warmer at his touch. He moved his other hand to stroke her hair.

"You should try to sleep." he told her.

"But if I sleep..." she mumbled, "...I don't ... Know if you'll be here when I wake up..."

He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I'll still be here," he whispered.

After Kaname said those words, Yuuki allowed herself to sleep.

_Suddenly, Yuuki was standing in a bright room. 'Our old kitchen,' she remembered, 'Home...'_

_Then, everything came into clear focus. She saw herself-- Or rather, her six-year-old self, looking into the refrigerator._

_"What's this mommy?" she asked her mother, who was preparing dinner, as she pulled a aluminum-foil wrapped object out of the fridge._

_He mother, Juri Cross, looked up from the soup she was stirring over the stove, and smiled at her daughter._

_"That's fruit cake Yuuki."_

_"Why's it been in here so long?" asked little Yuuki curiously._

_"Because fruit cake never really goes bad," said Juri, laughing._

_"Even after one-hundred years?!" asked little Yuuki again, astonished._

_"Well aren't you full of questions today," said Juri, walking up to her daughter and ruffling her chestnut hair._

_"But I don't know about one-hundred years..." she whispered, smiling._

_Little Yuuki giggled._

_Yuuki reached out her hand, as if trying to reach her mother and younger self, but she was frozen as if she were trapped in ice._

_She yelled for her mother over and over again, but no one could hear her until..._

"Yuuki, wake up!" shouted Kaname.

When Yuuki opened her eyes, she was lying on the floor beside her bed.

"What happened...?" she asked him.

"You suddenly started screaming, and threw yourself out of bed," he informed her, sounding very worried.

"Was I saying anything.. Or just screaming...?" she asked him.

He looked at her, with that sad, understanding look he always seemed to have and said, "You were screaming for your mother."

All she could do was look down at the floor.

Kaname cupped her chin in his hand and said, "Yuuki are you alright?"

All she did in response was bury her face in the front of his shirt, and whisper, "Please don't leave me..."

CH.16/END

* * *

I hope these last two chapters can begin to make up for the long wait to KxY fans! Sorry!

And to all who love Zeki, Zero's still here... somewhere. *looks under empty box, hoping to find Zero*

I think I know the end now, so look forward to finally seeing how this turns out! (But still a few more chapters yet...)

Please stick with it!

-RaspberryBloodTablets


	17. Circles

Yes, this chapter is based on the song "Circles" by Hollywood Undead, in case you were wondering, and of course I don't own the rights to the song. I'll be on a camping trip, cleaning my incredibly messy room, and catching up on a pile of homework this weekend so don't expect an update too soon. Sorry, I promise to write more when I find some time!!!!

Disclaimer: I really don't own anything, and never will okay?! ... But I bet you're having an easier time excepting that than I am...lol.

* * *

Chapter 17 - Circles:

Yuuki wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, resting quietly against the front of Kaname's shirt. But eventually her uncle did return, and so, Kaname left. It was getting late now, and Yuuki really _should _be getting some rest_. _She tried her hardest not to fall asleep, for fear that she would start screaming for her mother again and her uncle would hear her, and because some memories will always be too painful for her to face. But eventually, while writing in her journal, she was overcome by drowsiness, and slept the whole night without dreaming.

---

The next morning, a Tuesday, Yuuki still felt sick, but wanted to go to school anyway, not liking the idea of having to be alone in the house all day.

Before she left the house, she heard a far off, yet very familiar noise. She ran to her room when she realized it was her cell-phone.

She hadn't known she could get reception here, so the only times she had used it since moving in with her Uncle Kaien was when she was in Parkton and her uncle was calling her from the house. She had only given her number to a few people.

She saw that she had a text message:

_Meet me in the music room after school. We need to talk._

The text was from Zero. Instantly, Yuuki was worried about how she would be able to face him after what had happened yesterday.

But he was right the needed to talk.

Befre she left the house, she glanced at what she had written in her journal before she went to sleep last night.

_Dear Journal, _

_I think I may finally know where I feel safe..._

---

Ruka grinned, walking back up to the locker she had taken the phone from.

"You should have thought twice before you tried to steal that girl form Kaname-sama, Zero."

Because even though Ruka would rather be with Kaname than see him with Yuuki, Zero _would_ get his payback for trying to hurt _her _Kaname-sama.

Also, if Ruka's plan worked out well,Yuuki would find herself alone as well.

She slipped the note into the locker and walked to her first class just as the bell rang.

---

_Why am I _here_ of all places...? _wondered Zero Kiryu as he drug himself down the hallway.

_Oh, right, _he remembered, _Because the counselor made me come here. That's why... so I could 'move on and free my mind'..._

He opened his locker, and a little white envelope fell out.

_What's this? _

-

END/CH.17

* * *

Well, is my writing getting better or worse? Pretty please with a cherry and Cool Whip on top review and let me know!!!

-RaspberryBloodTablets :D

Oh, and P.S, please note that earlier in the story, Ruka just called Kaname, 'Kaname', but this has been changed because it feels so weird to not have her call him 'Kaname-sama'.


	18. Cirlcles Part 2

A/N:Super sorry if anyone is really, _really_ OOC in this it turned out, despite what I said in the A/N of the last chapter, I got practically no homework a all, as I managed to finish it during free period, and the camping trip I was going on was canceled, so I've been doing a whole lot of cleaning, walking, reading, and sorting this weekend, and I've found time to update this fanfic.

**PLEASE READ**: And also I'm just a little concerned because I got a serious lack of feedback on the last few chapters, and although I'm very, very grateful that anyone is even _giving_ me feedback on this story, I'm really curious to hear your opinions, because when I don't get reviews, I get nervous and tend to think that I'm doing something wrong. Thank you so much to all who continue read this story and review, you guys are awesome!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own VK or any of it's characters, they all belong to their creator, Matsuri Hino.

* * *

Chapter 18 - Circles (Part 2):

Yuuki walked down the empty school hallway, feeling incredibly nervous as she neared the music room. Was he even still here?

She had been stalling for time, 'fixing her hair' in the ladies' room for far longer than necessary.

She opened the door to the classroom where Zero had told her he'd be waiting.

It took several moments for her mind to register the scene before her.

Ruka Souen pushed against Zero's chest, making him stumble into the piano behind him. Tears were running down her cheeks.

"Get _away_ from me!" she cried, and ran towards the doorway, running into Yuuki.

'W-what's going on here?!" Yuuki asked in shock, as she looked down at a crying Ruka.

"Yuuki," Zero said, standing up and walking towards them, "it's not what it looks like!"

"Get away!" cried Ruka.

Zero looked angry, and Ruka was crying her eyes out, and Yuuki couldn't help but feel afraid.

She backed out into the hallway, Ruka swiftly following her.

Ruka grabbed Yuuki's sleeve and pulled on it, urging her to run.

"Yuuki, _wait_!" Zero shouted, walking into the hallway.

Yuuki turned around to walk away, to take Ruka somewhere she could tell her what was going on.

She ran face first into Kaname.

Kaname took one look at Yuuki and Ruka, and then looked at Zero and demanded to know, "What in the world is going on here?!"

He stepped between the two girls and Zero. By this time tears were starting to fall from Yuuki's eyes as well.

"_He attacked me!!!_" cried Ruka, bursting into sobs and clinging to Yuuki's shirt.

"H-he was g-going to-to-_to_--" Ruka started to say, but Kaname and Yuuki both knew what she was about to say.

"Just what do you think you're doing?," snarled Kaname, "Stalking innocent girls?"

Zero looked so angry now Yuuki couldn't believe it was the same boy that _she_ knew.

"Who do you think---" Zero started but was cut off by Kaname.

"Your pathetic excuses don't make a difference to me," Kaname was angry now as well, "just stay away from these girls. If you dare to touch Yuuki again I'll have you arrested."

Kaname turned to Yuuki and Ruka and said, "Go wait outside. Here's my phone, call the Kaien and tell him to come get you."

Yuuki refused Kaname's phone, showing him that she had her own, before quickly leading Ruka down the hallway and out of the building.

She could hear Zero calling her name and trying to run after her, only to be stopped by Kaname.

When Yuuki's uncle arrived, he brought with him a Police Officer, who happened to be Hanabusa Aido's father.

"They're in there." Ruka told , pointing towards the building.

---

The whole way home Yuuki stared at the text message Zero had sent her, unable to wipe the image of how deeply he had been kissing Ruka out of her mind.

And suddenly, she felt sick again, as if freshly soaked with the cold rain of the other day's storm.

END/CH.18

* * *

Zeki lovers, please don't kill me!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review and TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!!

And thank you so much for reading! :D

-RaspberryBloodTablets


	19. Tainted

Another new chapter! Sorry I'm no updating as often as I used to, but I'm trying to get this finished soon, so updates should be a lot more frequent for the next few weeks!

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter!

Disclaimer: I STILL don't own anything!!!

* * *

Chapter 19 - Tainted:

Yuuki truly didn't want to get up the next morning. She didn't want to leave the house in case she had to run into him again.

All night her dreams had been on repeat, each focusing on Ruka's tearful face.

She could understand that Zero wasn't himself after losing Ichiru... but there wasn't an excuse for... Why did he even tell her to meet him there? Why did he want her to see that?!

There was no excuse for using Ruka. _For using _me, Yuuki thought, then quickly corrected herself, _No, Zero wouldn't use me...would he?_

She remembered how she had tried to make Zero forget about his pain on that rainy afternoon. What did that mean to him? What _was _she to him, anyway?

Her whole body felt tainted and dirty. She tried to shake away her thoughts as she sat on the foot of her bed, the hairbrush she had been using abandoned beside her.

Then, there was a knocking on her door.

"Yuuki, are you almost ready for school...?"

Yuuki looked up at the sound of her uncle's voice. "I really don't feel that well," she lied.

"Yuuki," he told her, "You don't need to worry about Kiryu being there, after he attacked a student on school property, he's been suspended."

This surprised her for some reason, as she hadn't considered that before.

"You should get ready now," her uncle repeated.

Yuuki, still wearing her pajamas, made her way to her closet, where she chose a forest green blouse and white capri pants, as it was a very warm day.

She took her clothes into the washroom with her and had a shower before she left.

She had the urge to scrub off an entire layer of her own skin, just to get rid of the terrible tainted feeling it held.

---

Rima insisted that she and Shiki make sure that Yuuki got home okay, as she was still very upset, but Yuuki turned them down, remembering that her uncle had drank the last of he milk before he went to work that morning. Milk was always a necessity, as her uncle also did a lot of baking in his spare time.

_Yes,_ thought Yuuki as she walked to the convenience store, _it's best to do everything as I would on any other day, and everything will seem more normal._

Yuuki entered the small store, moving through the few aisles until she reached the refrigerated area where the milk was stored.

She took a carton of 1% milk from the glass freezer, and took it to the counter. She payed the cheerful girl working the counter, and walked outside.

From the other side of the building she heard someone making a _psssttt _sound, as if trying to draw her attention_. _She walked around the other side of the building, and came face to face with the last person she had wanted to see.

She mentally cursed herself, and turned to walk away, but Zero grabbed her arm.

"Yuuki, wait, we need to talk about what happened!"

"What is there to talk about?! You _attacked_ her, Zero!"

"Yuuki is that what you really want to believe?" asked Zero, looking her right in the eye.

Yuuki could feel tears springing to her eyes. "Of course I believe it! I saw it with my own eyes!"

His eyes narrowed and his tone became fierce. "Fine then, Yuuki. I want to know just what you think of me."

She could only stare at him for a moment before she said, "What do _you_ think of _me_, Zero? Did you use _me_ too?!"

Yuuki looked through her tears at the only person who knew all her secrets, the one who she had opened up to. There was nothing about her that he didn't know now.

He just looked plain angry now. "Just what the hell do you think--" Zero began to say, but suddenly there was a person standing between Yuuki and himself.

"I thought I warned you to stay away from Yuuki." said Kaname, taking one of Yuuki's hands into his own.

Zero was glaring past Kaname now, anger tainting his every word like poison.

"What do you want me to do, Yuuki?" he spat.

"I-I.." Yuuki stammered for a moment, her tears blinding her as all her blood rushed to her face.

She paused for a moment, her voice contorting into what could only be called an expression of pure rage, "I wish that you would just drop off the face of the Earth!"

And in a matter of seconds, Zero had turned an walked off into the distance.

END/CH.19

* * *

Wow, angry words. Sometimes I surprise myself with this fic. Yuuki has sleep issues. But I guess that's all my fault...

Thank you so much for reading, and please leave me some feedback, you guys are the best!!! :D

-RaspberryBloodTablets


	20. Constantly

See, I told you updates would be a lot more frequent!

And to **IheartEdwardCullen1901**: This chapter features a special guest appearance by mister 'Robbie Muse' the Health teacher, and yes you do SO know who I'm talking about!!!!!! XD

And thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter! Sorry if I don't reply to reviews, but I never have a lot of time, so sorry!

Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Knight, do you think I would have enough spare time on my hands to update this thing two days in a row?! I think not.

* * *

Chapter 20 - Constantly:

The next day, Yuuki began to feel uneasy about the previous day's events, but still angry and a little afraid.

_After Zero had left, Yuuki found that her hands were shaking. She really wasn't sure where her sudden burst of rage had come from, but she knew she had never yelled like _that_ at anyone before in her life._

_"Yuuki, are you okay?" Kaname asked her anxiously. She nodded, but didn't speak._

_After that Kaname had walked her home, and explained to her uncle why she was late, leaving out the argument between Yuuki and Zero._

Kaname was with her most of the time now, probably making sure she didn't have anymore unwanted run-ins with Zero. She was grateful that Kaname always tried so hard to keep her from being upset.

But one thing was strange. Zero seemed like the type of person who, when he was angry, would just want to be alone.

But as the day went on, Yuuki found more and more calls from him on her cell phone. However, she was still too upset to answer the phone.

At lunch, it began to ring for the third time that day, displaying Zero's number. Rima looked at Yuuki, and seeing her troubled face, said, "Just shut your phone off."

A little reluctantly, Yuuki did just that.

Yuuki took a bite of the Ceaser salad that she had ordered for lunch, and scanned the lunch room. Just mere hours away from the end of the school year, as it was Friday, everyone seemed very happy and excited. A stark contrast to herself, who was so confused and worried.

"So, Ichijo and I were thinking," said Shiki, who was sitting between Yuuki and Rima on the other side of the lunch table from where Yuuki and Kaname were sitting, "That we should all go to the beach this weekend."

Everyone nodded,and agreed it would be nice, except for Kaname, who waited for Yuuki to answer.

"I think it sounds like a fun idea." Yuuki said, and Kaname smiled then.

They began making plans, hoping that no circumstance would cause them to change them.

---

Later that afternoon, after everyone getting a reminder from their Health teacher to 'remember to write in their journals, and so on and so fourth' the students in Yuuki's class began to exit the building. Kaname was waiting for Yuuki outside the school.

"I'll give you a ride home." he told her.

They made their way to Kaname's car, which was the, by now familiar, red sports car that Yuuki had seen in her uncle's driveway on the first day she had come to this town.

Kaname opened the passenger-side door for Yuuki and helped her into the car. She couldn't help but think of what a gentleman he was. Like a kind knight.

As Kaname pulled out of the school parking lot, Yuuki turned to him and said, "Did you hear that Mr. Muse karate-kicked the door shut today when he was teaching that crazy junior high class?"

Kaname grinned slightly, as much as he ever did to such news, and chuckled slightly. "That doesn't really surprise me with Mr. Muse." he said.

They pulled into the driveway of Kaien Cross's home, and once they were inside the house, Yuuki's uncle insisted that Kaname stay for dinner because he was trying out a new recipe he had just found. Yuuki pitied Kaname for having to eat her uncle's food. It wasn't at all that her kind uncle didn't put a lot of effort into cooking... he just wasn't that _good_ at it.

Yuuki turned her phone back on as her uncle began to prepare the meal, because she remembered that Rima was supposed to call her with plans for their beach-weekend.

Almost as soon as she turned the little cell phone on, it began to ring. The caller ID read: _Zero_.

"Not again..." Yuuki mumbled.

Seeing Yuuki's discomfort, Kaname glanced at the caller ID, and seeing the name displayed there told Yuuki, "I'll take care of it."

He took the phone from her hands, and flipped it open.

"Hello?" he said, in an irritated tone, into the receiver.

Suddenly a confused look crossed his face. "Chief Aido?"

END/CH.20

* * *

Note: *Kaname is in a higher grade than Yuuki, Rima, Shiki, Zero, ect. *Aido's father is the Police chief.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS CHAPTER, AND PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! *Gives cookies to all reviewers*

-RaspberryBloodTablets


	21. Frozen Sunshine

Please read the super long A/N at the end of this chapter!

I'll be gone for a few days, I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning, and wont be online again until Saturday.

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter! You guys (along with my crazy friends *cough*thatmeansyoutooEm*cough*) are what keep me writing!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

* * *

Chapter 21 - Frozen Sunshine:

Yuuki's first thought after hearing Kaname's words were: _What if something happened to Zero?_

But, she realized, Zero is really strong. If anyone had tried to hurt him, he could have taken them down.

It was much more likely that, after their argument, Zero had gotten mad and done something reckless that had gotten him in trouble with the law. He was probably sitting in the local police station right now, and for some reason he had requested _her_ as his one phone call, or something like that.

Whatever was going on, she wasn't getting much information about it from Kaname. Just a lot of "Hmm..."'s and "I see..."'s

It also didn't help that Kaname wasn't turned to face her, she just stared at the back of his head in confusion.

Finally Kaname ended the conversation with, "Would you like to speak to her uncle? Oh, I see. Goodbye then."

He flipped Yuuki's cell phone closed and handed it back to her.

"What was that all about...?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yuuki, Chief Aido found Kiryu's cell-phone on the ground in font of a house that's supposed to be abandoned." Kaname told her.

_They found where Zero was staying, _she thought to herself, _so he was probably arrested for trespassing!_

"So did you talk to Zero? Where is he?" Yuuki pressed.

A look crossed Kaname's face that Yuuki didn't quite understand.

---

Yuuki stared out the window as she sat alone. The sun that had tried to offer her warmth had long since set.

She decided that she had only been there for about ten minutes, but upon glancing at the clock saw it had been almost four hours.

_"Kaname what's wrong? What happened to Zero?!" Yuuki asked frantically._

_"Yuuki, I'm sorry."_

_Frustrated tears formed at the corners of her eyes._

_"What does that mean?!" she asked._

_"They found him in the house. They think he killed himself sometime last night."_

'I wish you would just drop off the face of the Earth!' the words lingered in her mind.

She scrawled words in the journal resting on her lap, without comprehending their meaning.

_Why did I _say_ that?!_ she wondered, _He just lost his twin brother. I should have tried to hear him out... But I--_

She held her breath to keep more tears from spilling over.

Her uncle walked into the room and made his way to where she was sitting. He pulled her into a hug.

"Yuuki..." he whispered.

She faintly saw the shadow of Kaname standing on the other side of the room. Where he had stayed after she had moved to this spot. Strangely, for the first time in a long time, she just wanted to be alone.

The person who had promised not to tell anyone her secrets had kept his promise. He had carried her secrets to the grave with him.

Bad news came in different ways for everyone, but it always came sometime. Bad news always found Yuuki Cross through the phone.

END/CH.21

* * *

A/N: I'm sorry, I know this was tragic, but Zeki lovers, Please don't kill me or flame me! I've had this story planned out to be a Romantic/Humor/Drama/Tragedy fic from the beginning! And I know that half of the people reading this story probably hate my guts right now, but I'm really sorry!!! I feel bad, and I'm not sure how people are gonna take this, and thats why I'm updating now, before I have to leave. So I have a few days before I have to face the music... And I'm sure you can all tell where this is going from her, pairing-wise. After this story, I promise i will write stuff that isn't super depressing.

Please review if you don't hate me,

~RaspberryBloodTablets


	22. Save Me

Wow, everyone took the last chapter quite a bit better than I thought they would. Oh, and I almost forgot my promise of cookies a few chapters back. Special RaspberryBloodTablets secret recipe Chocolate chip minty-vanilla cookies for all of the wonderful people who review this story! XD

Also, some parts of this chapter reference Zero's suicide attempt in chapter 4 of the manga.

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Vampire Knight or any of it's characters, which all belong to Matsuri Hino!!!

* * *

Chapter 22 - Save Me:

Sometimes, fading into the background can be like fading out of existence.

_"Why did they call _me _first of all people?!"_

_"You were the only number programmed into his cellphone."_

Being at the funeral service of someone she cared about very much makes her every sense weak, all too vulnerable to pain.

_"Please... just tell me that...." her voice broke, "Please tell me that it wasn't painful for him..."_

_Silence._

_Of course he was in pain. He had been since he lost his parents, and she knew that._

She imagined what his face might have looked like at this moment. Perhaps as if in peaceful sleep.

However, the casket was closed, as he had-- he had ended his life by shooting himself through his left temple. At the scene, it appeared as if her had been sitting on the edge of his bed.

The recently produced school yearbook lay open on the floor in front of him. It was open to the two pages with all the students in their grade. She knew this, as she had seen Chief Aido taking the blood-spattered book out of the house as she stood outside. She hadn't showed up until they had taken Zero's body away from there. She didn't know what would happen to her if she actually laid eyes on his remains.

_Zero_.

The voice she had been absently ignoring cut through her next thought.

"Perhaps you can take comfort in the fact that he is with his family now..."

_Ichiru. He must be with him. The very thought that they be separated in the afterlife seemed cruel._

As whispers echoed all around her, Yuuki realized: _Almost none of these people knew Zero._

She looked around her. Rima and Shiki sat to her left and Kaname and her uncle sat to her right. She wished that these people, these strong people, could lend her some of their strength. But she continued to be too weak.

A different picture formed in her mind.

_Zero has the gun pointed to his head._

_The dor swings open and Yuuki stands in the threshold. She sees what Zero is about to do, she leaps forward and knocks the gun away from his head._

_He gets slightly upset and struggles against her._

_"Why do you want me to live anyway? After such and experience, you can't act as if nothing has changed." he would say._

_"Can't we try we try to start over? I care about you Zero! You can't die!"_

She hadn't realized that people were beginning to leave, that the service was over until Kaname gently nudged her shoulder. He looked very concerned.  
It seemed strange that until that moment, she hadn't felt the tears spilling down her cheeks.

She stood up, staggering through the few people left, through the doorway, into cold air.

"Yuuki!" she heard voices calling after her. But she ran. It was dark by now, and this was the part of town that was covered with trees. She ran into the trees not very far, before she fell to the ground.

_He can't be dead. He can't be! Like this the future seems too bleak. I wish I could have changed things, saved him, maybe then everyone could have..._

_A new future._

END/CH.22

* * *

I listened to the song 'Bring Me To Life' by Evanescence while I was writing this.

I also cried while I was writing this, and was distracted several times by my VK manga volumes...

Yours randomly, Zeki4Ever-- Oops, I mean RaspberryBloodTablets. I still always forget and sign it wrong anyway, only to realize my mistake at the last minute.


	23. Finding Home

Another quick update! Thank you so much for all reviews :D

I need to be quick with this author's note, because I am writing this at school! One more day and 15 minutes left until Summer Vacation!!!! Wahoo!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter 23 - Finding Home:

It was starting to rain. No moon or stars were visible. Yuuki lied there all alone, but she heard no approaching footsteps.

_Why is everything so dark...?_ she wondered.

_I want to go home... Where _is_ home...?_

She just lied there until she almost fell asleep. Her whole body was cold.

Suddenly she heard a voice.

"_Yuuki!!! Where are you?!"_

_Kaname._

_"Where are you?!" _The voice was getting closer.

Suddenly, as if in a matter of seconds, she felt somethingwarm-- a coat--wrap around her shoulders.

"Yuuki, you'll get very sick out here. It's time to go home..."

_This isn't home._

_Where is my home...?_

_Not here. _This is what she decided.

"Come here," he said, holding her close to his chest.

He walked her out of the forest and to her uncles car. She felt the worried eyes of her friends and uncle on her.

_This wasn't home. These people weren't her family. _

Not in technicality, but they were the closest thing she could ever imagine living such a life that she was.

_Rima, Uncle Kaien, Shiki, Kaname, and... Zero._

_So many people, that never wanted to cause her pain, ever._

And with them she went to her 'new' home, where, really, she had always belonged.

She felt Kaname's hand on her shoulder and realized that she couldn't predict the future. She would just have to live with what came her way.

END/CH.23

* * *

Please review, and thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed the story so far.

~RaspberryBloodTablets


	24. Epilogue

Wow, this ended a lot sooner than expected. This is a nine years later epilogue. I hope you enjoy!

And thank you to everyone who read and review the last chapter, and all chapters before that.

Also, if anyone is interested, I just finished the anime _Karin _today, and will probably be writing fanfiction for it very soon. If an of you are fans, keep watching my profile, or better yet, subscribe to my stories so you wont miss anything!

Recommended songs to listen t while reading this (I am not associated with any of these songs):

Move Along by The All-American Rejects

Fix You by Coldplay

or Wheel of Destiny. I don't know the artist, but if you search it on you-tube, it's from the anime _Gundam SEED_.

Disclaimer: I never have owned Vampire Knight, and it doesn't look like Hino-sensei is going to make that anytime soon! Thanks for reading!

* * *

Chapter 24 - Epilogue:

_Nine years later..._

The lush, green grass that had grown on these hills and in these fields had never changed.

From the year she was sixteen years old until now, when she was twenty-five and that day was here again.

She had gotten married at the young age of nineteen, eager still to leave behind another place that-- although very beautiful-- held memories of guilt and sadness.

And yet, every year on this day, she always came into town.

She said hello to her friends Rima and Shiki, and of course to her Uncle Kaien, who she still loved very much even to this day, and would always be grateful to.

She stood among the headstones, reading the names as she passed by them, even though she knew exactly where she was going. Usually, she insisted on coming back to Lawsonville alone, but today--

A small figure ran past her at full speed. Not understanding what a cemetery was _for_ or why they were here the little boy giggled excitedly.

She studied the boy, with dark hair, mahogany eyes, and a creamy-pale completion, he looked like the perfect cross between his two parents.

Running that fast, it was clear that he would trip soon.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to warn the five-year-old, but before she could say anything, she heard another concerned voice coming from behind her.

"Be careful, or you'll hurt yourself, Zero!"

She remembered, when she first heard that she would be having a baby boy, she had immediately known what he would be named. She almost laughed at the memory of his pre-school teacher thinking that it was some kind of joke when the little boy introduced himself as 'Zero'.

_It's been nine years... since he died. Nine years ago today, he ended his own life._

Sometimes, she would hold her son and cry, thinking about how it was all her fault.

She could feel tears streaming down her face at that very moment, actually.

She managed a small smile, looking at her son, who lived up to his name. He had a truly rebellious personality, and at that very moment was refusing to stop his running even though his father insisted upon it.

She watched as her husband lifted her son up off the ground and spun him in circles. The little boy laughed.

She wiped away her tears and walked up to them.

She looked at the headstone that they had stopped to stare at.

_Zero Kiryu: 1992-2009_ the carving on the stone was of roses, with vines and thorns. She couldn't help but think that it was meant to show that under his tough exterior, Zero was a wonderful person.

The stones next to his were that on his family. Mother, father, and twin brother. _Ichiru_.

"Momma, that person has the same name as me!" her son said, pointing at Zero's stone.

"Yes..." she replied quietly, "He was a friend of mine."

"Yuuki, dear, are you okay?" her husband asked her gently.

"Yes." she said, kneeling down to put flowers on the grave.

"We should go now." she said. Her husband nodded.

Together, Yuuki, Kaname, and little Zero Kuran walked away from the cemetery.

Behind them, they left a bouquet of white roses on the grave of Zero Kiryu.

END/New Future.

* * *

I hope that this had dramatic effect.

And thanks to **VampireMaddy** who suggested that Kaname and Yuuki have a child with silver hair. I didn't use that idea exactly, but it inspired me to have Kaname and Yuuki name their child after Zero. Thank you so much!

And also, I would really like to thank everyone, who reviewed, and read this story. You guys stuck with Yuuki, Kaname, Zero, and everyone else through the good times and the bad. You guys are AMAZING!!!

And also, thanks to my Mum and Dad, who encouraged me to keep practicing my writing, hopefully I can improve someday and maybe reach my dream of becoming a famous author!

And also thank to **IheartEdwardCullen1901**for her continued support, and great feedback! You rock Em!!!

Also, thanks to all the artists of the songs that have helped to inspire me while writing this story. Although I doubt any of you guys are reading this, lol.

And yeah, thanks to everybody! :D

Hopefully see you all in my future fanfics! *crosses fingers*

THE END

~RaspberryBloodTablets


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